Exclusive: Arnold Schwarzenegger Uncovers Shocking Truths about Conan The Barbarian Filming – Prepare to Be Amazed!

Summary

Arnold Schwarzenegger reveals the dangerous filming conditions behind Conan the Barbarian, including biting a real, dead vulture and running from wild dogs.

The tasks Schwarzenegger was assigned on set would no longer be deemed acceptable due to their potentially harmful effects on health and questionable treatment of animals. The conditions on the set of Conan the Barbarian would have faced strong objections from PETA, and Schwarzenegger admits that they would have taken full advantage of the situation.

Arnold Schwarzenegger has opened up about the dangerous conditions that occurred behind the scenes of Conan the Barbarian. The iconic fantasy film, released in 1982, catapulted Schwarzenegger into stardom and is recognized as one of his breakout action roles before his renowned performance in The Terminator. Reflecting on his time on set, Schwarzenegger details the grueling filming conditions he faced, from completing intense stunt work to enduring injuries. In his new self-help book, Be Useful: Seven Tools for Life, Schwarzenegger shares specific incidents, such as biting into a real, dead vulture, which required him to wash out his mouth with alcohol after each take. Additionally, he reveals that he sustained a significant back injury early on, resulting in the need for forty stitches. Despite the challenges, Conan the Barbarian remains an important milestone in Schwarzenegger's career, with rumors of a potential third installment in the franchise.

Conan the Barbarian Filming Conditions Would Not Fly In 2023

I acquired the skills of horseback riding, camel riding, and elephant riding. I mastered the art of leaping from formidable rocks, scaling and swinging from long ropes, and even learned the technique of falling from great heights. It was essentially a vocational school tailored for aspiring action heroes. But that wasn't all; Milius, the director of Conan, pushed me to the limits by subjecting me to all sorts of gruesome challenges. I endured crawling through jagged rocks countless times until my forearms were left bleeding. I was chased by wild dogs who managed to capture me and drag me into a thicket of thorns. I even sank my teeth into a genuine, lifeless vulture, necessitating mouth rinses with alcohol after every take (PETA would surely not approve). On one of the initial filming days, I suffered a deep wound on my back that required forty stitches.

While the content of Conan the Barbarian may be in line with daring stunt work, the tasks assigned to Schwarzenegger back then were completely unacceptable by today's standards. It is unimaginable, even after forty-one years, that any actor would be expected to sink their teeth into a scavenger like a vulture, which carries numerous diseases. Moreover, considering the rest of the filming details, it is possible that the treatment of the "horses and camels and elephants" Schwarzenegger rode was also questionable.

Present-day actors are occasionally required to perform extreme tasks, much like Schwarzenegger did in Conan the Barbarian. A notable example is Leonardo DiCaprio, who ate raw bison liver while filming The Revenant. Although not as repulsive as consuming a vulture, DiCaprio's actions still represent a disturbing interaction between humans and animals on a recent film set.

Schwarzenegger mentions PETA in his writing, which stands for the People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals. This organization frequently challenges the treatment of animals on screen, including recent cases such as Gladiator 2 and Jackass Forever. If PETA had been aware of the conditions on the set of Conan the Barbarian, they would have undoubtedly been appalled, as described by Schwarzenegger.

Source: Be Useful: Seven Tools for Life (via Insider)